Nvidia Demo Shows What the Future of Final Fantasy Could Look Like

Nvidia showed off a Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy 15 character rendered in real-time on its upcoming Nvidia Volta GPU technology during the recent GPU Technology Conference 2017 event. The short video shows what Final Fantasy games could look like once console GPU technology eventually grows up to Volta’s potential. Volta GPUs are likely to become available for enthusiasts in 2018, but that kind of console performance likely won’t arrive for years beyond that.

Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy 15 is Square Enix’s latest feature-length movie made entirely in computer graphics. In order to achieve the kind of fidelity they need for a feature film, the entire film is animated as if by hand with computers rendering frame by frame. There’s simply no realistic way to display that kind of detail in real-time without sacrificing performance. Nvidia says its demo pulls the character, Nyx, directly out of the movie in full detail.

As players of Final Fantasy 15 know, Square Enix is already putting this level of quality into its game – in the cinematic cutscenes, at least. The gameplay video quality, however, has a long way to catch up. Even the PlayStation 4 Pro’s GPU technology, or the upcoming Xbox Scorpio hardware, would struggle with this demo. The good news though is that consoles are closer to current GPU hardware than ever, with the PS4 Pro and Scorpio figuring out ways to do things that even cutting edge hardware can struggle with.

Ultimately, Nividia’s Final Fantasy 15 demo isn’t going to blow away anyone who isn’t well-versed in the nuances of cutting-edge GPU technology. Even Square Enix’s Luminous Engine demos from years back provide better examples of what Final Fantasy can and will look like going forward. That said, there aren’t any Final Fantasy fans who wouldn’t be pleased with their favorite JRPG franchise being able to look even better in motion – especially everyone who played Final Fantasy 15 on just a standard PlayStation 4.

In the meantime, Nvidia’s demo should spin off a bevy of new rumors regarding future console GPU technology. Current PlayStation and Xbox consoles use AMD hardware as it tends to be cheaper and AMD’s more willing to work with console manufacturers to meet their demands. However, the Nintendo Switch uses an Nvidia chip, which is starting a new conversation regarding Nvidia moving in on AMD’s console control. Who knows, Final Fantasy 16 on PlayStation 5 might some day be running on Volta technology.

Nvidia‘s Volta GPU technology should be available for enthusiasts starting in 2018.